DURHAM, N.C. (RNS) Taking a cue from religious conservatives, the liberal denomination of some 1 million members becomes the first in the country to attack same-sex marriage ban on religious freedom grounds.

WILMINGTON, N.C. (RNS) “Our national security would be improved by restoring the world’s respect for U.S. integrity on human rights and adherence to the rule of law,” nearly 200 clergy said in seeking a Senate report on post-9/11 torture.

(RNS) If Gov. Pat McCrory signs the bill, North Carolina would become the seventh state to have an anti-Shariah law, joining Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. In May, Alabama lawmakers approved a like-minded constitutional amendment that state voters will consider in 2014.